What will happen to 49ers vs. Seahawks rivalry without Jim Harbaugh?

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks had a pretty good rivalry going the past couple seasons, didn't they? Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh had their issues in college, and when Harbaugh joined the 49ers it all seemed to fit together so nicely. The rivalry could continue between them and it would get the fans pretty darn pumped. It accomplished that.

But a rivalry made sense for so many other reasons. Of course, the obvious is that they're NFC West rivals and you'll find no love for either the Arizona Cardinals or St. Louis Rams here at Niners Nation. But there's also the fact that the Seahawks are so ... similar to the 49ers. They do a lot of the same things on both sides of the ball, and they have a lot of the same goals even if the personnel forces the schemes to differ.

As much as many of you might hate the thought, Carroll could come coach in San Francisco with his entire Seattle coaching staff and they would fit right in. The team would be firing on all cylinders. It's that inherent similarity that makes a lot of fans dislike the Seahawks any more. I suppose on some level that's rooted in insecurity, but hey, that's just part of being a sports fan at this point.

Still, I wonder what this rivalry will look like now that Harbaugh is gone. Sure, I imagine the lot of you are going to be rooting hard against the Seahawks today, and again in February if they happen to make it back to the Super Bowl. There's plenty there to dislike and root against to keep the fan's interest. Richard Sherman is certainly doing his part. But will it lose some of the magic without Harbaugh?

As someone who doesn't necessarily even dislike the Seahawks (don't act shocked, I've been saying it for years), I'm not too sure it will be all that diminished. I personally think the best rivalries occur when two teams are good, and I think the only way the 49ers/Seahawks rivalry dissolves in any way is if Jim Tomsula can't field a successful team this season.

So in a way, I do think the absence of Harbaugh could affect the rivalry. But that has less to do with his relationship with Carroll and more to do with whether or not the 49ers will even be in the discussion for the division next season. Maybe we're looking at the Seahawks and Cardinals dominating once again, with the 49ers on the sidelines. It's technically the offseason for us now, right? So I guess it's about time I mention that the Rams sure could be good next year if they put it all together, you know?

I feel like I needed to get that out of the way, so it can be an offseason proper. Anyway, I was just interested in how you guys feel about the 49ers/Seahawks rivalry and whether or not it will be diminished without Harbaugh. Thoughts?